The Buzz

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Max King might be the most versatile distance runner on the planet. A World Mountain Running champion, a 100K road world champion, a Mount Marathon winner, a top finisher at Comrades and Sierre-Zinal, the range is almost absurd. But when Buzz sits down with Max, the thread running through all of it isn't ambition or optimization. It's fun. After burning out post-college and stepping away from the sport for two years, Max made a pact with himself: keep running only as long as it stays enjoyable. 
Three decades later, that philosophy has carried him from obstacle courses to Welsh castles, from the track to the trails of southern China. In this conversation, Max and Buzz dig into what it actually looks like to maintain elite fitness across wildly different disciplines without specializing, how Max taught himself to climb like a European mountain runner after finishing 81st at his first Sierre-Zinal, and why the motivation to grind through big training blocks shifts as you age. Max talks honestly about what slowing down feels like at 46, the surprising role collagen and creatine have played in his recovery, and why he's now chasing bucket-list races like the Dipsea over podium finishes at marquee ultras.
The two close with a reflection on the growth of trail running worldwide, from local hundred-person races with hand timing and burritos to 5,000-person events in China, and why Max believes the soul of the sport will survive the spectacle.

The 44th annual Ultrarunner of the Year Awards are in, and this year delivered one of the deepest fields of women's performances in the history of the award. Buzz Burrell talks with John "Tropical John" Medinger, who has administered the vote when he took over Ultrarunning Magazine (sold in 2024 to Jamil Coury), about the full results, the voting process, and what made 2025 such a standout year. Katie Schide won North American Female Ultrarunner of the Year after victories at Hard Rock (course record), the World Long Trail Championship, and Madeira. Jim Walmsley took the men's title with four wins, including Chianti Castles, where he beat Kilian Jornet. Meg Eckert's 603-mile six-day world record earned Performance of the Year for women, while Charlie Lawrence's 6:07:10 100K on the track (sub-six-minute pace) took the men's honors.
John and Buzz discuss how the voting works, why Western States results carry so much weight, the new World Ultrarunner of the Year category, and the endless debate of comparing trail times to track performances. They also touch on Courtney Dauwalter's challenging year, the case for Ann Flower and Caleb Olson, and why some impressive performances still fall short of the top 10. 
TIMESTAMPS:
 :00 Intro
1:40 Meet John Medinger
3:08 How the Ultrarunner of the Year Award works
10:04 Top 3 Female Ultrarunners of 2025
14:23 Katie Schide's dominant year 
17:00 Top 3 Male Ultrarunners of 2025
21:00 Jim Walmsley's undefeated season 
27:42 Performance of the Year: Meg Eckert's 603 miles
33:07 Why track performances won this year
42:11 World Ultrarunner of the Year results 46:58 Controversies and debates
52:16 The future of the award

Ski mountaineering is about to have its moment, and if you're a trail runner, you should be paying attention. Skimo shares DNA with our sport: the relentless uphill effort, the technical descents, the mountain culture, and a surprising number of athletes who race both. After decades as a European-dominated discipline, skimo makes its Olympic debut at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy.
Nikki LaRochelle joins Buzz to break down what skimo is and why trail runners should care. A longtime skimo racer and ultrarunner, with finishes at San Juan Solstice 50 and Canyon de Chelly, Nikki famously Photoshopped herself into a broadcast booth four years ago, manifesting a future she wasn't sure she'd ever reach. This February, she'll be the technical commentator for the Olympic Broadcasting System. She walks listeners through what makes skimo racing so tactically complex: the transitions, the boot packs, the skinning, and the descents that punish any lapse in focus.
Then Cam Smith, one half of Team USA's mixed relay duo alongside Anna Gibson, shares what it's like to prepare for the biggest stage in sport. At the Solitude World Cup, Cam and Anna jumped from ranked 13th to first, proving they can compete with anyone on their best day. Cam talks about the mental game, the preparation heading into Italy, and chasing the first-ever Olympic medals in skimo history. Buzz floats the idea that they could be the first trail runners to compete in an Olympic Games.
The sprint is February 19th, the mixed relay February 21st. This is your primer on a sport that shares more with trail running than you might think.

Buzz previews 2026 with Zoë Rom, coach Scott Johnston, Western States Race Director Craig Thornley, and Allison Mercer of FastestKnownTime.com.
The panel digs into the Courtney DauWalter, Tara Dower, Katie Scheide showdown at Hardrock 100 and what the growing competitive depth in women's ultrarunning actually tells us (spoiler: progress is real, but parity isn't here yet). Scott Johnston makes the case for AI and data analysis in elite pacing—and explains why it all goes out the window by mile 80. Craig Thornley shares updates on Western States' multi-year Granite Chief Wilderness trail reroute and weighs in on whether rising prize purses at Broken Arrow and Gorge Waterfalls signal a real shift in how the sport operates.
The conversation spans the backyard ultra phenomenon, crossover athletes moving between road and trail, and the grassroots running boom powering the whole thing from below. Zoë asks the pointed question: does ultrarunning have a pipeline for its next generation of stars, or are we five retirements away from a charisma crisis? And what would it take for athletes and media to stop producing what she calls "room temperature vanilla ice cream" content?

Can a sport built on dirtbag ethos survive the arrival of real money? In this end-of-year special, Buzz gathers Zoë Rom, coach Scott Johnston, Western States race director Craig Thornley, and FKT manager Allison Mercer to make sense of 2025.
They dig into the paradox of professionalization, $275 super shoes, UTMB live broadcasts, Ironman private equity, while Zoë points to the data that says the grassroots still holds: only 1.7% of trail runners actually race, backyard ultras are booming, and FKTs remain just you and a GPS watch. Scott Johnston talks weighted vest training and speaks with rare compassion about the CCC doping scandal. Craig reveals Killian is returning to Western States in 2026 and announces the historic rule change allowing poles after 53 years, driven not by elite concerns but by accessibility for the back of the pack.
Allison celebrates a year of dominant women's performances, while Zoë asks the uncomfortable questions about OnlyFans sponsorships: why is it easier for a platform associated with adult content to support female athletes than it is for endemic brands? And Buzz wonders, when did vomiting and hallucinating become something to brag about?
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
 01:24 – Zoë Rom on the paradox of professionalization
11:17 – Scott Johnston on training Tom Evans and Ruth Croft
18:40 – Craig Thornley on Western States' historic men's race
27:12 – Allison Mercer on dominant women's performances
38:30 – Zoë on OnlyFans and sponsorship equity
 49:18 – Scott on the CCC doping scandal
56:19 – Craig on poles, traction devices, and rule changes
1:00:23 – Chris Myers' scuba mask river crossing
 1:04:02 – Buzz on glorifying suffering
This episode is brought to you by Arc'teryx. The Norvan 4 Nivalis—full Gore-Tex cover, ankle gaiter, actually dry feet. Learn more at arcteryx.com.
The Buzz is part of the UltraSignup Podcast Network. Find all our shows at ultrasignup.com/podcasts.